Andrew Wilson

Keeping it Fair

As long as I can remember, sports have been a major part of my life. Now well into adulthood, some of my best memories come from the diamond as a little leaguer and to this day, I still remember teammates, coaches, fields and even specific games that had an impact on my younger years and taught me valuable life lessons.

When I wasn’t playing, I was watching and asking myself “How can I make this fun last as long as possible?” Coaching always seemed like a good route but as a young professional, I knew I didn’t have the ability to commit to being a coach and mentor kids could trust to be there every day. Then came umpiring.

When my wife and I moved from Franklin to Nolensville a few years ago, one of the first posts I recall in the Nolensville 411 Facebook group was an ask for anyone interested in umpiring. I’d been a Nolensville resident for all of one week, but we both knew this is the place we’d call home for a long time to come. I knew if I was ever going to do it, this was the chance.

I do this not because I’m trying to relive my younger years, but because I remember the impact youth sports had on my life growing up trying to find my place in the world. At any level, umpires never really want to be remembered. If you know their name, it’s likely because you’re associating them with a bad call against your team. My goal – our goal across Nolensville Little League Baseball – is the same as every official in sports: Not to be remembered because we took a base hit away from someone that one game, but to know we played a role in a young person’s formative years to help them learn the game and build positive, fun memories that will last a lifetime. At the end of the day, if we can aid in someone feeling that same joy we did as kids, I’d call it job well done regardless of the score. After all, it’s just a game…